Ducks Ring in New Year vs. Wildcats

Thursday, January 1

Eugene, OR

2 p.m.

University of Oregon

Northwestern

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The Oregon women's basketball team takes on Michigan at Matthew Knight Arena on Dec. 29, 2025.

Photo by: GoDucks.com

12/31/25 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Oregon and Northwestern kick off 2026 at MKA (2 p.m., B1G+).

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon women's basketball team kicks off 2026 against Northwestern, as the Ducks host the Wildcats on New Year's Day at Matthew Knight Arena at 2 p.m..

The Ducks and Wildcats squared off on New Year's Eve in Evanston last year, with UO coming away with an 85-65 win. The victory was the third straight in the series while Oregon leads the all-time series 3-1. NU's last visit to Matthew Knight Arena was the 2022-23 season opener in which the Ducks won 100-57.

GAME #16
Oregon (12-3, 0-2) vs. Northwestern (6-7, 0-2)
Thursday, Jan. 1 | 2 p.m. | Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
TV/Stream: B1G+
Play-by-play: Lily Crane | Analyst: CJ Flores
Radio: Oregon Sports Network (KUJZ 95.3 FM | ESPN Portland 910 AM)
Play-by-play: Chris Clayton | Analyst: Bev Smith
Listen Online | Live Stats | Tickets

A WIN WOULD…
» Give Oregon a 1-2 Big Ten record and 9-1 home record.
» Be the Ducks' 23rd straight home win against an unranked team.
» Snap a season-long two-game losing streak.
» Be UO's fourth consecutive win against Northwestern and extend its lead in the all-time series to 4-1.
» Give the Ducks a 2-1 home record against the Wildcats and a 2-0 mark at Matthew Knight Arena.
» Be Oregon's third straight victory on New Year's Day and first since Jan. 1, 2023 over USC.
» Improve UO's record on New Year's Day to 4-1 overall.

LAST TIME OUT
After trailing by 18 points in the first half to the sixth-ranked team in the nation, it looked all but over for the Oregon women's basketball team.

But the Ducks amped up the pressure and intensity in the second half and pushed Michigan to double overtime at Matthew Knight Arena, where Oregon's upset and comeback bids fell just short in a 92-87 loss in its Big Ten home opener Monday night.

"I'm proud of our effort," said UO head coach Kelly Graves. "Proud of how hard we played and gave ourselves a chance after that horrendous start to the game. ... What we did learn, though, is we're a pretty good team. We can play with anybody."

Sophomore point guard Katie Fiso scored 22 of her game-high 24 points after halftime, including 11 in the third quarter after the Ducks trailed by 16 at the break. Ehis Etute added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Mia Jacobs finished with 16 points and Ari Long added 14.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
After beginning the season by winning six straight games, Northwestern (6-7, 0-2 Big Ten) comes to Eugene on a seven-game losing streak after its 94-73 loss at Washington on Monday.

The Wildcats are 1-3 in true road games and 2-4 in all games away from home, dropping each of their last four such games. During its seven-game skid, NU has scored just 70 or more points three times and has yet to eclipse the 80-point mark, with its 68.2 points per game ranking second to last in the Big Ten.

Grace Sullivan leads the Wildcats' offense with 23.0 points per game (second in the Big Ten) while averaging 7.8 rebounds. Taylor Thomas is second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points a night to go with a team-leading 8.9 boards. Caroline Lau leads the country at 9.2 assists per game.

As a team, Northwestern ranks fourth in the Big Ten in blocks per game (4.8), but ranks last in the conference with 5.9 steals and 12.7 turnovers forced per game.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Oregon and Northwestern will meet for the fifth time on Thursday, with the Ducks winning the last three matchups. The Wildcats will visit Matthew Knight Arena for the first time since the 2022-23 season opener in which UO earned a 100-57 victory to even the all-time series in Eugene at 1-1. A season ago, Oregon picked up an 85-65 win in Evanston on New Year's Eve. In the win, guard Deja Kelly joined the 2,000-point club and led five Ducks in double figures, including Ehis Etute with 10 points off the bench.

OFF AND RUNNING
Oregon began the 2025-26 season 10-0 for just the third time in program history before suffering its first loss of the season on Dec. 7 at No. 4 UCLA. It marked the first 10-0 start since beginning the 2015-16 season 11-0, and the second 10-0 start or better under 12th-year head coach Kelly Graves. The Ducks' 12-1 start was its best 13-game start since the 2019-20 season, and the third 12-1 start or better under Graves. UO's offense has scored 80 or more in nine of 15 games, including five straight to being the season - its longest streak to begin a season since seven straight such games to open the 2019-20 season. UO's scoring offense of 78.1 points per game ranks 43rd nationally and 10th in the Big Ten.

Seven different Ducks have led or tied for the team lead in scoring, with 11 different players producing a double-digit scoring performance. Four times this season five different players finished in double figures, most recently in a Thursday's win over Portland: Mia Jacobs (21), Amina Muhamad (12), Avary Cain (11), Sarah Rambus (11) and Katie Fiso (10). Five of the 11 players with a double-figure scoring game came off the bench (Avary Cain, Ehis Etute, Muhammad, Astera Tuhina and Janiyah Williams).

» Oregon's offensive rating of 103.4 (points per 100 possessions) ranks 12th in the Big Ten while averaging 74.4 possessions per 40 minutes (fourth in Big Ten). UO had an offensive rating of 96.0 with an average of 70.2 possessions per 40 minutes last year.
» UO's field goal percentage of 46.8 is No. 31 in the country, with its 53.1 percent on two-point shots ranking 44th in the nation and 10th in the conference.
» Oregon ranks 45th in the country and 10th in the league with an effective field goal percentage of 52.1 percent.
» The Ducks' bench put up 56 points against Old Dominion on Nov. 27, outscoring the Monarchs' entire team in an 84-46 win on the final day of the Hoopfest Women's Challenge.
» It was the second game with 40-plus points for UO's reserves, as they accounted for 47 of 90 points against Montana on Nov. 8 and fourth outing of at least 30 points (27.1 bench points per game ranks 50th in the nation).
» UO's 17.9 assists per game are good for 27th nationally, posting an assisted shot rate of 61.6 percent (sixth in the Big Ten).
» The Ducks are fourth in the Big Ten and No. 31 in the country in free throw shooting (76.9 percent), while their 1.16 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 45th nationally.

STORM AND SWARM
Oregon's suffocating defense, a chief reason for Oregon's success a season ago, is back again this year. The Ducks have forced at least 20 turnovers 11 times and recorded double-digit steals in 12 of 15 contests to start the season. The 12 games with 10 or more steals are tied for the second-most in the country, and behind only national leader Maryland, while the 11 20-turnover games are tied for fourth-most nationally and two games behind the nation's leaders. In 11 games this season, UO's defense has recorded double-digit steals while forcing 20 or more turnovers - tied for the third-most such games in the country and one behind the nation's leaders (LSU, Texas).

Oregon forced a season-high 32 turnovers against West Georgia behind 24 steals in the season opener, its most steals in a game since 2013. Oregon's defense recorded 12 or more steals and forced at least 23 turnovers in four consecutive games to begin the season. UO turned in 10 or more steals in five consecutive games from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3, matching the longest streak from a season ago. The four consecutive games with 20-plus turnovers to start the season marked its longest since eight straight such games during the 2010-11 season.

» Oregon created at least 22 turnovers in three straight outings, forcing 29 vs. Utah State, 26 against Saint Mary's and 22 against Old Dominion. UO has two different stretches of at least three consecutive games with 22 or more forced turnovers.
» The Ducks are one of four teams with 11 games forcing a minimum of 22 turnovers, and the only team in the Big Ten.
» UO recorded 18 steals and forced 29 Utah State turnovers in its 70-34 win on Nov. 23, both the second-highest totals of the season.
» Over the last four games, teams have combined to shoot just 16-of-78 (20.5 percent) from behind the 3-point line.
» The Ducks' nine games with 12 or more steals are three off the national lead.
» Oregon is recording a steal on 14.7 percent of opponent possessions, which is the third-highest rate in the Big Ten and 24th-highest in the nation.
» Opposing teams are turning the ball over on 25.3 percent of its possessions, the sixth-best rate in the conference.
» UO's scoring defense ranks 10th in the Big Ten and 85th in the nation, allowing just 58.9 points a night with just five teams eclipsing the 60-point mark.

GO, FISO, GO
Sophomore point guard Katie Fiso has stepped into the Ducks' lead guard spot this season, as she takes over after the departures of graduate guards Deja Kelly and Peyton Scott. Fiso, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington her senior season, got her first career start in the season opener against West Georgia on Nov. 3 and turned in her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists - without a turnover. She produced her first 20-point scoring effort while handing out 10 assists against Grand Canyon on Nov. 11 and has since recorded points-assists double-doubles against Army (12 points, 10 assists), Saint Mary's (15 points, 10 assists), Oregon State (23 points, 14 assists) and Portland (10 points, 11 assists). She matched her career-high scoring effort with 24 points against No. 6 Michigan and now owns a team-best five 20-point games this season.

Against Oregon State on Dec. 3, Fiso turned in one of the best games of her career with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting to go with a career-high 14 assists. Her 14 assists equaled the second-highest assist total in a game in program history, and were three shy of Sabrina Ionescu's record of 17 set in 2018. The 14 assists are tied for the most in a game by any player in the Big Ten and tied for the fourth-most in any game this season.

» Fiso leads the Ducks with 15.2 points per game after averaging just 3.1 a game last season. Her increase of 12.1 points per game is the second-highest improvement from a season ago among Big Ten players (22nd-highest nationally).
» Fiso's five 20-point games are tied for fifth-most in the league among Big Ten guards.
» Against the Wolverines, she scored 22 of her career-high-tying 24 points in the second half and both overtime periods.
» Her six points-assists double-doubles this season lead the nation with the next closest players having four, while only 11 players in the country have multiple such double-doubles.
» There have been 10 points-assists double-doubles in the Big Ten this season, with Fiso accounting for six of them and the only player with more than one.
» Six total double-doubles are tied for the Big Ten lead and tied for ninth-most in the nation.
» Turned in the first 20-point, 10-assist double-double by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points and 12 assists against Stanford on March 8, 2020.
» First Duck with multiple points-assists double-doubles in a season since Ionescu during the 2019-20 campaign (17).
» Led (or tied) UO in assists in all 14 outings this season and ranks second in the Big Ten at 7.5 assists a night (seventh nationally).

MAMA MIA
Senior forward Mia Jacobs, a Fresno State transfer, has made an immediate impact for the Ducks on the young season. She ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor. Jacobs finished as the team's leading scorer in three of the first four games to begin the season, including a season-high 26 points in UO's 84-66 win over Grand Canyon on Nov. 11. It marked the highest scoring performance by a Duck since Te-Hina Paopao scored 28 points against Stanford on March 2, 2023. Additionally, she has connected on 56-of-66 free throw attempts to rank eighth in the Big Ten at 84.8 percent.

» Jacobs produced a double-double in three consecutive games from Dec. 14-21 - the first double-doubles of the season after recording 19 a season ago while at Fresno State.
» Jacobs turned in her first double-double against Montana State on Dec. 14 with 13 points and 10 rebounds before scoring 21 points with 10 boards against Portland on Dec. 18.
» On Dec. 21 against Stanford at Chase Center, Jacobs grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds while scoring 11 points.
» Over her last four games, Jacobs is averaging 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds.
» On Dec. 7 at UCLA, Jacobs eclipsed 1,500 points for her career and her 1,552 points rank 28th among active players and fifth among active players in the Big Ten.
» She is second on the team with four 20-point outings after scoring 21 points against Portland, her 24th career 20-point effort.
» Jacobs drilled a season-high five 3-pointers against Washington State on Nov. 19 on her way to her second 20-point outing of the season, going 4-for-5 from range in the second half of UO's 86-59 victory.
» Jacobs' 30 made 3-pointers lead the team and second-most among Big Ten forwards (tied for No. 11 nationally among forwards).
» She went 12-of-13 from the free throw line against GCU, marking the most made free throws by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu made 17 against Mississippi State on Dec. 18, 2018.
» Her free throw percentage of 84.8 is fifth-best in the nation among forwards with at least 50 made free throws and second in the Big Ten.

RING THE BELL
Junior guard Sofia Bell is a phenom on the court and in the classroom. Bell earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon after only two years and is already enrolled in an MBA program at UO. On the basketball court, she is a disruptor to opposing offenses and has developed into a knock-down 3-point shooter. The 6-foot Bell leads he team with 13 blocks and ranks second in made 3-pointers (25) and third in steals (26), recording at least one steal in 13 of 15 games this season with multiple steals in nine contests. On Dec. 7 at UCLA, she saw her career-best 13 stretch of consecutive games with a steal come to an end, dating back to last season. Bell has registered at least one theft in 46 of her 64 career games (71.9 percent), while finishing with multiple steals 25 times. Thirteen of her 30 career blocks have come this season after having just three over 28 games last year.

On the offensive end, she is shooting 37.9 percent from behind the 3-point line (25-of-66) and has drained multiple 3-pointers eight times. Her 15 points against Montana State on Dec. 14 tied her career high and marked the first time in her career she led the Ducks in scoring, becoming the seventh different player to lead UO in points this season. Bell is one of just eight players in the nation, and the only player in the Big Ten, to have at least 13 blocks while making at least 25 3-pointers.

EHIS THE BEAST
Sophomore F Ehis Etute has begun to tap into her raw potential in her second season in Eugene. The Luxembourg product has scored in double figures in five of her last seven games, including setting a new career high in scoring in back-to-back games. Etute first turned in 15 points to go with eight rebounds against Old Dominion on Thanksgiving Day before a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double off the bench at Auburn on Nov. 30. It marked Etute's first double-double of her career while grabbing a career high in rebounds, going 7-of-10 from the floor. She scored nine points and hauled in 11 boards in the second half to help UO overcome a 14-point second-half deficit against the Tigers.

» Over a four-game stretch from Nov. 27 to Dec. 14 , Etute averaged 13.3 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. She averaged 22.4 minutes off the bench in that stretch, the third-most minutes of anyone on the team.
» Etute has led UO in rebounding in nine of 14 games in which she has played this season and has finished as the team leader 13 times in her career.
» Against Washington State on Nov. 19, she hauled in 13 rebounds for her first 10-rebound effort, with eight coming on the offensive end - the second-best total by any player in the Big Ten this season.
» Etute boasts a total rebounding rate of 22.4 percent, the highest rate in the Big Ten and 15th-highest rate in the country among players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, with her offensive rebounding rate of 19.5 percent is ninth nationally among those players (second in Big Ten).

THE LONG GAME
Junior guard Ari Long has cracked the starting lineup for the first time in her career this season, starting each of the last 13 games in place of the injured Elisa Mevius who will miss the season due to a knee injury. Long, standing at 6-foot, ranks second on the team with 11 blocks and 28 steals. Her 11 blocks are tied for the fourth-most among Big Ten guards, while she is the only Big Ten guard with at least 11 blocks and 28 steals, as she is part of a group of just 12 guards nationally with those numbers.

Long recorded four steals against Portland on Dec. 18, her second four-steal game of the season, after she registered a career-high three blocks against Montana State in the previous game. Long has led or tied for the team lead in steals six times this season while pacing the team in blocks five times.

NOTES & TRENDS
Oregon shot at a higher field goal percentage than its opponent in 13 of 15 games this season, going 12-1 in those contests. The Ducks are 10-0 when leading at the half while winning two of five games when trailing at halftime. When holding an opponent below 70 points, UO is 11-1 this season while going 11-1 when scoring 60 points or more.

The Ducks have finished with more or the same number of assists 13 times, winning all but one of those contests, while going 12-1 when having more or the same number of steals. UO is unbeaten this season (10-0) when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent and 11-1 when scoring more fastbreak points.

PROTECTING THE NEST
Since its opening in 2011, the Ducks have been dominant in defending Matthew Knight Arena, posting an all-time record of 181-72 (.715). Since 2017-18, UO is 113-25 (.823) at home, with a 47-21 (.691) conference record, while outscoring opponents by an average of 20.2 points a game in that span. Opponents are averaging just 58.8 points per game at Matthew Knight Arena, wile shooting at a 38.4 percent clip overall and 26.2 percent from the 3-point line.

» Oregon has won 21 straight home games against nonconference teams.
» This season, the Ducks are 8-1 at home while averaging 84.6 points per game and winning by an average margin of 25.8 points.
» UO boasts a record of 86-4 (.956) against nonconference teams at home under head coach Kelly Graves (since 2014-15), and has won 81 of its last 83 nonconference home tilts.
» Since Graves' arrival in 2014-15, the Ducks average 77.7 points per game at home, which ranks as the 25th-highest average in the country in that span.
» The Ducks have posted a .500 record of better at home in 12 straight seasons, dating back to 2013-14.